Zombie
Zombie · The Reanimated Corpse — Mindless Man-Eating Hordes of the Dead
An undead that, dead and reanimated, loses reason and craves the living. Moving slowly (or swiftly) with a rotting body, it spreads infection by bite or scratch. Rooted in the Vodou tradition of slave corpses raised by sorcery, it became in the modern era the symbol of apocalypse — hordes that topple civilization.
Origin
Derived from the Haitian Vodou tradition of corpses whose souls are stolen and controlled by a bokor (sorcerer). After the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, it was redefined as a swarm monster multiplying by infection, becoming central to modern horror.
Features
- Rotting body, slow or swift movement
- Craves only the living, without mind or self
- Spreads infection by bite or scratch
- Swarms in hordes
Stories
Appears as a symbol of civilization's collapse and the terror of endlessly surging hordes. A central being of apocalyptic narratives that test survival, social breakdown, and humanity.
Weakness
Stopped by destroying the head (brain). Slow and unable to use tools or strategy; individually weak, but their number and infection are the threat.